It may not seem it to you and me, but to a child with autism a supermarket can be a daunting place.

But one mam is making some small changes to help them - and their families.

Jenny Barnett’s four-year-old son Charlie has autism, and she knows how difficult it can be trying to complete the weekly shop with him in tow.

So Jenny, who works at Asda in South Bank, decided to do something about it.

She has introduced the ‘Happy Little Helper’ scheme at the store, in which music and public announcements are switched off to reduce the amount of noise the children have to deal with.

Jenny, 31, has also put together a kid-friendly shopping list using Makaton symbols of groceries such as fruit, vegetables and biscuits.

New Asda Initiative to help children with special needs at Asda South Bank. Pupils from Kirkleatham School with teachers and Asda Staff (Image: Evening Gazette)

Children can use the velcro-backed symbols to help their parents shop - and tick off items as they go round.

“I know how hard it is to go into a shop and be a mam with a child who is throwing a tantrum and throwing themselves on the floor,” said Jenny.

“Everyone looks at you. This is about taking that little bit of pressure away.

“If I can help one mam then the whole thing will be worth it.”

Jenny said that both reducing the noise in the store, and having children concentrate on helping with a shopping list, will make it much easier for children to ignore distractions and get through the store.

Children from the Kirkleatham Hall School - a special school with pupils aged from two to 19 which has supported the initiative - visited the store this week to test it out.

Jenny Barnett (Image: Evening Gazette)

Stephanie Welford and Jo Wilson, teachers at the Rainbow Class, said: “Jenny has a good personal understanding of autism and the difficulties it can cause in every day situations.

“It can be very difficult for children with autism to cope with noise, lighting, crowds and over stimulation of goods.

“We would like to thank Jenny, and Tanya Barry, the in-store Community Champion, who welcomed us into the supermarket and made our shopping experience a very positive one.”

The ‘Happy Little Helper’ packs are now available for parents who feel they might need some help to get round the store with their children, while the store will turn off music and announcements every time children from Kirkleatham Hall visit.

Pupils from Kirkleatham School with teachers and Asda Staff (Image: Evening Gazette)

And Jenny hopes that her initiative can continue to develop and become a regular event, known as a ‘quiet hour’, so parents and carers of autistic and special needs children can come at a set time.

Jenny said: “It’s already working. The children from the school loved it, some more than others, but they’ve been twice and they are already getting more confident coming in.

“There is one little boy who has taken some of the symbols, and his mam has brought him as far as the car park a couple of times. But he’s getting further and further every time.”

Jenny’s initiative has been backed by store manager Steve White and Tanya who said: “Jenny has worked really hard. As soon as she came to us with the idea we said, let’s do it.”